Project Summary The goal of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) Nutrition Training Grant is to train pre- doctoral students in integrative nutrition research so that they will become the future leaders in the basic and applied aspects of the science of nutrition. This training grant is designed to support 7 pre-doctoral students for one to two years. Students will be selected by a faculty committee for placement on the training grant beginning in their first, second or third year of study. Recognizing that biomedical research is increasingly demanding of interdisciplinary approaches, since our last renewal we have undergone a comprehensive review of our doctoral training program to ensure delivery of optimal training that prepares our students to effectively participate in, and to lead, interdisciplinary teams of scientists working on contemporary, compelling problems. Our faculty members have well-regarded, actively funded research programs in nutrition as relates to the critical problem of obesity and diabetes as well as the role of nutrition in cancer, brain development, genetics, immunology, nutritional influences on environmental contaminants and cardiovascular disease. Our training program provides a solid foundation for research-intensive careers in academia, or in other settings including industry or government. Nutrition scientists must understand not only the basic science that forms the foundation of nutrition, but also understand how foods and nutrients influence the health of populations and be able to lead the integration of nutritional concepts into evidence based interventions that impact human lives. Finally, training in the development and promotion of policy guidelines that link scientific research to the needs of the population with respect to diet and activity are also a component of the education of our graduate students. Therefore, as we have done in the past, we continue to provide each student with a strong core of instruction in nutritional biochemistry, metabolism, epidemiology, clinical and community intervention programs and policy. Each student is mentored in their chosen sub-specialty in nutrition under the close supervision of their primary mentor and a team of co-mentors. Because the UNC-CH Department of Nutrition is uniquely located jointly in the School of Medicine and the Gillings School of Global Public Health, we are ideally positioned to focus effectively on both the public health and medical science foundations of nutrition research. Our pre-doctoral Trainees have the advantage of our many collaborations across both public health and medical disciplines. Our faculty is recognized nationally for research and leadership in nutrition, and we are highly committed to graduate training. The Gillings School is the top-ranked public school of public health in the country, and based on the National Research Council, our nutrition department is also a top ranked program. Our training success has been demonstrated by the extraordinary records of our students who have been nationally recognized by awards for their research, and continue to establish themselves as investigators and leaders in academia, industry and government.